Tennessee defensive lineman Xavier Gilliam is one of the most talked-about players on this year’s team. The 6-foot-2 junior has wreaked havoc and taken on the best that other teams had to offer, week in and week out. Through eight games, Gilliam has accumulated 26 tackles, 11.5 for loss, and 6.0 sacks. Everyone is talking about “X,” as he is known, and he knows it.
“Obviously it feels good to be recognized for how you’re playing,” Gilliam said on Tuesday. “But in season, I don’t really like to worry too much about that stuff. Always just focused on the next opponent.”
Back in the older times, coaches used to warn against “reading your press clippings.” Newspapers are still a thing, but everything now is digital. With the social media takeover, it is much easier to simply see what anyone across the world has to say about you. However, Gilliam doesn’t focus on that. He is locked in and says it’s not hard at all to not be invested in the hype.
“Oh yeah, I see my name flash a little bit,” Gilliam said. “Not really, because at the end of the day you still got to come in and practice, you still got to come and watch film, you still got to come and prepare for the next game. So there’s really no time to be sitting there on your phone like, ‘Oh, I’m so good.’”…